Tikkabik

Bonnie went to a treatment plan meeting to Robert's school on Monday. This was done as part of his six month anniversary at Baird, which runs a therapeutic program for behaviorally challenged boys as part of their curriculum. Baird's equivalent to an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) meeting in a general education school.

At the meeting was Charlotte Soucey -- she's part of Mashpee's special education department, and she's been mainly responsible for liaising between us and the Baird Center for Robert's placement there. She's the chief point of contact that Mashpee has with the school.

Our relationship hasn't been easy or without issues, but I've always gotten the impression that Charlotte wants to do right by us and do the right thing for Robert. And now she's leaving, and not by her choice, either.

Bonnie said, "See you at the next meeting" at the conclusion of the treatment meeting, and Charlotte replied, "No, you probably won't."

It turns out that Charlotte is being turned out in the street at the end of this academic year. Because her position has been eliminated.

She's being replaced with an assistant special education director. An assistant to Jane Beaudin, Mashpee's special education director, who, by the way, is presently operating in violation of state law as she doesn't have the proper accreditation, since she was unable to pass a basic literacy test as part of her state licensure.

This news comes only a few months after we learned that Ann Bradshaw, the superintendent of Mashpee schools, is hiring an assistant superintendent to help her with issues that, from the nature of the job description, sound like things she should be doing.

So, basically, someone in the school administration who is actually capable of effecting change and working with parents is being replaced by a manager. It's the Dilbert Principal at work. And totally par for course for our local school system.